Twentieth anniversary edition of this timeless, groundbreaking novel about race and racism in modern Britain, with new introduction by Booker-prize-winning author and cultural commentator Bernadine Evaristo; and a note from the author reflecting on changes in the conversation regarding race and literature over the past two decades.

'Courageous, honest, powerfully real.' The Times 'A transcendent work.' Daily Telegraph 'Intensely touching.' Financial Times 'Outstanding ... tender, sexy and alarming.' Jim Crace 'Gee is unflinching in her exploration of the causes and consequences of racism.' The Observer 'An audacious, ground-breaking condition-of-England novel that delves for the roots of xenophobic hatred and violence in the English hearth ... Its head-on scrutiny of the uglier face of fair Albion is the more impressive for its rarity in British fiction.' The Guardian 'A triumph of hope over despair, reconciliation over bitterness. A unashamedly contemporary novel that embraces the ideological and emotional chaos of our time.' The Independent 'A wonderfully perceptive, warm and wickedly humorous portrayal of a white working-class family. In this ground-breaking novel, Maggie Gee bravely and uniquely explores the nuances of racism from the perspective of the perpetrators, within the context of family relationships. The resulting work is a brilliant depiction of British society at the end of the twentieth century.' Bernadine Evaristo